Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is facing growing pressure from inside his own circle of supporters as the war in Ukraine drags on with no victory in sight and Russia’s economy begins to buckle. Prominent pro-war bloggers and ultra-nationalist commentators, known as “Z-war patriots”, are now publicly expressing doubt and anger over the Kremlin’s direction. They claim that the economy is crumbling and warn that the Russian regime can no longer afford to sustain a war of attrition against Ukraine.
Maxim Kalashnikov, a well-known Z-movement war correspondent, revealed in a blog post that the Kremlin has quietly agreed to resume negotiations with Ukraine and the United States in Istanbul. He claims this is not a sign of confidence but a desperate attempt to avoid total collapse. “They cannot continue this indefinitely,” Kalashnikov wrote. “The economy is in an extremely bad state. It may begin to collapse in the autumn. And if your economy collapses, you cannot wage war.”
Kalashnikov also warned that Putin will not dare to launch another wave of mass mobilisation, fearing unrest inside Russia. According to him, losses on the battlefield have become too heavy to ignore, while Ukraine is increasingly successful, particularly in drone warfare, staying “one step ahead” of Russia in technological innovation.
Russia has been pumping trillions of roubles into its war campaign since 2022, drawing vital resources away from civilian infrastructure, healthcare, and education. With inflation soaring and industries weakened by sanctions, cracks in the regime’s foundations are starting to show. The mass mobilisation of military age men has already weakened the country’s workforce, damaging productivity and crippling local economies across rural and industrial regions.
Another Z-patriot, Pavel Gubarev, has also spoken out against Putin and the regime. In a rare moment of dissent, Gubarev described the entire Russian system as one held together by fear. “In Putinism, fear is the main emotion,” he said. “Judges fear bureaucrats, security forces fear each other, and the people have no legal means to express their views.” According to him, Putin is no longer the decision maker, but a puppet controlled by elite power groups within the Kremlin. He described the system as chaotic and weak, saying, “We roll like tumbleweeds across the field.”
This is not just fringe criticism. These are voices from inside the Kremlin’s once loyal echo chamber. The once unified Z-movement is growing disillusioned with Putin’s failures, both military and economic. The image of a strongman dictator has begun to fade as Ukraine successfully repels Russia’s attacks and the Kremlin runs out of options.
Even Putin’s reliance on North Korean support, long dismissed as symbolic, is now shown to be another dead end. “North Koreans need to be paid,” Kalashnikov said. “And we have no money for that anymore.”
